Unexplained Absence

three generic mana one white mana Instant

For each player, exile up to one target nonland permanent that player controls. For each permanent exiled this way, its controller cloaks the top card of their library. (To cloak a card, put it onto the battlefield face down as a 2/2 creature with ward two generic mana . Turn it face up any time for its mana cost if it's a creature card.)

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Showing Murders at Karlov Manor Commander#17

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Unexplained Absence rulings

2024-02-02
To cloak a card, put it onto the battlefield face down. It becomes a 2/2 face-down creature card with ward and no name, mana cost, or creature types. It’s colorless and has a mana value of 0. Other effects that apply to the permanent can still grant it any characteristics it doesn’t have or change the characteristics it does have.
2024-02-02
Any time you have priority, you can turn a cloaked permanent you control face-up by revealing that it’s a creature card (ignoring any copy effects or type-changing effects that might be applying to it) and paying its mana cost. This is a special action. It doesn’t use the stack and can’t be responded to.
2024-02-02
If a cloaked creature would have disguise (or morph) if it were face up, you may also turn it face up by paying its disguise (or morph) cost.
2024-02-02
Unlike a face-down creature that was cast using a disguise or morph ability, a cloaked creature may still be turned face up after it loses its abilities if it’s a creature card.
2024-02-02
If a double-faced card is cloaked, it will be put onto the battlefield face down. While face down, it can’t transform. If the front face of the card is a creature card, you can turn it face up by paying its mana cost. If you do, its front face will be up.
2024-02-02
At any time, you can look at a face-down spell or permanent you control. You can’t look at face-down permanents or spells you don’t control unless an effect instructs or allows you to do so.
2024-02-02
If a face-down creature loses its abilities, it can’t be turned face up with a disguise ability because it will no longer have a disguise ability (or a disguise cost) once face up.
2024-02-02
Because the permanent is on the battlefield both before and after it’s turned face up, turning a permanent face up doesn’t cause any enters-the-battlefield abilities to trigger.
2024-02-02
Because face-down creatures don’t have a name, they can’t have the same name as any other creature, even another face-down creature.
2024-02-02
A permanent that turns face up or face down changes characteristics but is otherwise the same permanent. Spells and abilities that were targeting that permanent and Auras and Equipment that were attached to that permanent aren’t affected unless the new characteristics of the object change the legality of those targets or attachments.
2024-02-02
Turning a permanent face up or face down doesn’t change whether that permanent is tapped or untapped.
2024-02-02
If a face-down spell leaves the stack and goes to any zone other than the battlefield (if it was countered, for example), you must reveal it. Similarly, if a face-down permanent leaves the battlefield, you must reveal it. You must also reveal all face-down spells and permanents you control if you leave the game or the game ends.
2024-02-02
You must ensure that your face-down spells and permanents can be easily differentiated from each other. You’re not allowed to mix up the cards that represent them on the battlefield to confuse other players. The order in which they entered the battlefield should remain clear, as well as what ability caused them to be face down. (This includes disguise, cloak, and in games involving older cards, morph and manifest, as well as a few other effects that turn cards face down.) Common methods for doing this include using markers or dice, or simply placing them in order on the battlefield.
2024-02-02
If something tries to turn a face-down instant or sorcery card on the battlefield face up, reveal that card to show all players it’s an instant or sorcery card. The permanent remains on the battlefield face down. Abilities that trigger when a permanent turns face up won’t trigger, because even though you revealed the card, it never turned face up.

Unexplained Absence keyword rules

Cloak Rule 701.56

To cloak a card, turn it face down. It becomes a 2/2 face-down creature card with ward {2}, no name, no subtypes, and no mana cost. Put that card onto the battlefield face down. That permanent is a cloaked permanent for as long as it remains face down. The effect defining its characteristics works while the card is face down and ends when it’s turned face up.

Any time you have priority, you may turn a cloaked permanent you control face up. This is a special action that doesn’t use the stack (see rule ). To do this, show all players that the card representing that permanent is a creature card and what that card’s mana cost is, pay that cost, then turn the permanent face up. The effect defining its characteristics while it was face down ends, and it regains its normal characteristics. (If the card representing that permanent isn’t a creature card or it doesn’t have a mana cost, it can’t be turned face up this way.)

If a card with morph is cloaked, its controller may turn that card face up using either the procedure described in rule to turn a face-down permanent with morph face up or the procedure described above to turn a cloaked permanent face up.

If a card with disguise is cloaked, its controller may turn that card face up using either the procedure described in rule to turn a face-down permanent with disguise face up or the procedure described above to turn a cloaked permanent face up.

If an effect instructs a player to cloak multiple cards from a single library, those cards are cloaked one at a time.

If an effect instructs a player to cloak a card and a rule or effect prohibits the face-down object from entering the battlefield, that card isn’t cloaked. Its characteristics remain unmodified and it remains in its previous zone. If it was face up, it remains face up.

If a cloaked permanent that’s represented by an instant or sorcery card would turn face up, its controller reveals it and leaves it face down. Abilities that trigger whenever a permanent is turned face up won’t trigger.

See rule , “Face-Down Spells and Permanents,” for more information.